More Than Broken
by Lysha
Summary: Joey and Serenity's lives as children were nowhere near perfect. They spent the 'happiest days of their lives' trying to overcome their fears. Follow their dramatic past all the way up to the start of the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Some violence.
1. More Than Broken

**Author's Note: **This story has been, by far, my most favourite to write, and it has to be my best one yet. Well, at least that's what I think! Let me know! But please please leave a review for this story. It would mean alot to me.

**Thank yous: **I want to dedicate this story to all the members of the Joey Wheeler Fan Club, particularly Seph, unloved, and Rikku. It was fun while it lasted guys, but it all had to end somewhere. Keep in touch.

* * *

**More Than Broken**

Joey closed his eyes and tried to shut out the sound of an argument echoing around the house. Shouting, breaking of china, heavy footsteps on the floor. He cringed as the sound of something else breaking sounded from downstairs, and held his sister closer.  
  
Serenity was shivering with fear. "Joey? What are mommy and daddy doing?" she whispered. She might not understand what was going on, but she knew enough to make her feel afraid.  
  
Joey looked up cautiously and he glanced around his room from the corner in which they were crouched. There had been a moment's silence from the argument downstairs. He heard more footsteps, then the sound of the front door slamming.  
  
He's gone, Joey thought.  
  
Joey carefully pulled himself away from Serenity's grip and started to stand up, but his sister grabbed his hand. "What's happening now, big brother?"  
  
Joey looked down at his little sister, who was gazing up at him with her puppy-dog eyes. She was holding his hand tightly, as if her life depended on it.  
  
Joey looked towards the door as the sound of his mother crying echoed up the stairs.  
  
Serenity pulled herself up, still holding her brother's hand, looking towards the bedroom door too. "What's wrong with mommy? Has she hurt herself?" Serenity was still whispering.  
  
Joey shook his head slightly, his eyes still on the door. He took a small step forward and began to creep towards the doorway, Serenity still gripping his hand and following him reluctantly.  
  
They reached the top of the stairs and stopped, listening to their mother's sobs coming from the kitchen.  
  
Joey took a step down and looked back to Serenity, who did the same. As they tiptoed to the bottom of the stairs, they saw glass and water all over the floor in the hall. Serenity's eyes welled up with tears as she saw the mess and her little head filled with nasty images and terrible thoughts. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and tried to forget everything. She took the last step down the stairs and followed Joey's lead to the kitchen door, where they both stopped and peeped around the doorframe.  
  
Joey gulped as he saw his mother sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, all the glass and water surrounding her. She was crying into her hands, her back to the children.  
  
Serenity's eyes filled with tears once again, and, before Joey could stop her, she ran to her mother's side and wrapped her arms around her. "Don't worry, mommy, Joey and I will fix it; it just needs some glue." Serenity whispered into her mother's ear, casting her eyes over the best china in pieces across the floor.  
  
Joey stood in the doorway, looking around the room fearfully, trying not to look at his mother who was now holding Serenity, crying into her shoulder. He could see the cuts and bruises over his mother's face and arms. He looked away, tears of anger in his eyes. Anger for his father. Joey hated his dad for ruining it all. The Wheeler family were just starting to find their feet. Joey's mother and father had both got jobs and earned lots of money to buy the house they now lived in. They were always together, always on family outings, and they were all so close. They were the perfect family. Well, that's how it had been up until recently, when their father lost his job and began drinking and gambling all the family's money away. Now they hardly had anything. And not just that, but Joey had overheard his parents talking one night about Serenity. He knew her eyesight was bad, but the doctors say it's getting worse and she might even go blind.  
  
Joey screwed up his face and fought against tears. He bent his head and looked down to the floor. He saw his reflection in the puddles on the floorboards. Why couldn't he help his sister? Why couldn't he stop her losing her sight? Why couldn't he stand up for his mother? Why couldn't he help his father get a new job? Why couldn't he be a better son, a better brother?  
  
He felt a tear roll down his cheek and ran off, back up to his room, kicking his pathetic reflection in the water as he went.  
  
Joey ran upstairs, into his room and slammed the door behind him, sitting down with his back against it. He leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, tears falling from his cheeks and on to the floor.  
  
Why did everything have to go wrong now? Joey felt so much hate towards himself. He should have looked after his sister better, than maybe she wouldn't be sick. He should have gone downstairs and stopped his father from hitting his mother. Instead he sat cowering in the corner like a wimp, crying and being useless, as usual.  
  
"Joey?" he heard Serenity calling him softly from outside the door. "Joey, it's me. I think mommy's feeling a lot better now, she's –"  
  
Serenity stopped mid-sentence as her brother opened his door and pulled her into a tight hug. She smiled and looked at Joey with her innocent face as he pulled away. "It's going to be okay, Joey. Daddy will be back soon."  
  
Joey looked away. Yeah, he'd be back soon...even more drunk than he already was. Joey felt ashamed of himself. He made a silent promise that he would never be useless again. Ever. He was going to help Serenity see perfectly again. He was going to stop his father drinking and gambling and hitting his mother. He was going to make his mother happy again. He was going to put the whole family life back to the way it was. He was going to be the best son and big brother anyone could want.  
  
"C'mon, Serenity, I think it's your bedtime now." Joey smiled as best he could and stood up, taking Serenity's hand and leading her into her bedroom.


	2. Aftermath

"It'll be okay in the morning, Joey." Serenity smiled as Joey tucked the covers around her in her bed.  
  
Joey looked into his sister's eyes, wanting to believe her. "I hope you're right, sis."  
  
"Good night, Joey." Serenity said, her eyes closing and her mind slipping into dreamless sleep.  
  
Joey smiled, then leant forward and kissed his sister's soft cheek. Then he stood up from the bed, took one last look at Serenity, and then switched off her light. He sighed as he closed the door gently behind him. Then he almost jumped in fright as he heard the front door open and then close again.  
  
His father was back.  
  
Joey quickly crept over to his room across the corridor and shut the door behind him. He sat on his bed for a moment, twiddling his thumbs nervously, as if waiting for something. Then he stood up and pressed his ear against the door. He heard his mother's tears again. But, this time, they were tears of happiness. He heard his mother and father talking; his mother's voice stifled by tears, his father's slurred by drink. Joey heard snatches of the conversation and immediately knew that it had happened again. She had forgiven him. Joey began to wonder why every time, when bad things were said and done, why every time his mother forgave his father, as if absolutely nothing had happened.  
  
Joey moved away from his door, deciding he didn't want to hear the same conversation repeated for the millionth time. He walked over to his bed and just fell down on to it. He was so tired after all that had happened that day; he just lay down and went to sleep.


	3. Nightmares

_He was in a dark room. He looked around himself and saw nothing. It was dark and kind of scary. He stood upright, ready for whatever was coming his way. As he stood staring into the darkness, he saw the outlines of two people in front of him. As he squinted through the shadows, he recognised the shapes as his mother and father. But it wasn't the kind of happy family portrait you'd see hanging above someone's fireplace. His mother was on the floor, shielding her face; his father was standing over her, his fist raised. Joey ran forward to protect his mother, but it was as if he was running through treacle. He didn't get there in time. Blood spattered the floor as the scene faded away. Joey turned around sharply and saw his sister being carried away from him by some doctors. They were murmuring things about how it was 'too late' and 'how useless that brother of hers is'.  
  
"Serenity! Don't go!!" Joey called out, trying to run to her.  
  
"Joey!! Don't let them take me!!" Serenity called, stretching her hand out to her brother. Joey nearly reached her, just one more step further...he closed his fingers around air as Serenity and the doctors faded away.  
  
"Serenity!!!" Joey called in despair.  
_  
"Joey? Joey, are you okay? Wake up!"  
  
Joey woke up sharply, his fists clenched, his face covered in a cold sweat.  
  
He felt Serenity's head rest upon his chest and he sat up.  
  
"What's wrong, big brother? You were calling me." She said sweetly. She was clutching her teddy bear tightly, her eyes filled with worry for her brother.  
  
Joey rubbed his eyes and saw how dark it was. It was still the middle of the night. He lay back down and buried his head in his pillow.  
  
"It was just a bad dream, Serenity." Joey said sleepily. "It's the middle of the night, go back to bed."  
  
"Okay." Serenity said, making her way back towards the door. "Joey?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Serenity stopped, thought for a moment, then grinned and held out her teddy bear. "You can borrow my teddy if you want, Joey. You won't have bad dreams then."  
  
Joey smiled at his sister's concern for him. "No, Serenity, you keep him. Good night."  
  
"Night, Joey." Serenity waved her free hand, and then disappeared behind the door.


	4. A New Day

Joey had slept peacefully for the rest of that night, and woke up the next morning full of ideas for that day.  
  
As he got dressed, he wondered how it was going to be today. Obviously his parents had made up, but, as both Joey and Serenity knew, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't happen again today.  
  
When he was ready, he made his way into his sister's room. On the way across the corridor, he noticed his mother and father were still fast asleep.  
  
Joey smiled as he pushed open his sister's door and saw her sitting up in her bed, playing with her teddy. Serenity looked at her brother when he came in, and smiled her innocent smile. "Good morning, Joey."  
  
"Good morning, Serenity." Joey kept his voice low, so as not to wake his parents up. "C'mon Serenity, get dressed."  
  
She looked puzzled. "Why?"  
  
"We're going out!" Joey said.  
  
Serenity jumped out of her bed and busied herself around her room, getting ready.  
  
"I'll wait for you downstairs." Joey said as he left the room and crept downstairs, noticing the mess from the argument last night had been cleared up. Even though it was over now, Joey could still see the argument playing out in front of him, hear his mother's tears ringing in his eardrums, smell the drink on his father and feel the tension in the air.  
  
Joey fixed his gaze straight ahead and tried not to look around in case any traces of the argument still lay around. He walked into the kitchen, over to his mother's handbag on the table. He reached inside it and pulled out his mother's purse. He opened it and stared inside. Hardly anything. His father must have spent what was in there last night. No matter how hard he tried to forget, Joey knew that it was wrong to steal. But it was only a little bit, she wouldn't miss it. Joey reached inside and pulled out a few notes.  
  
Just as he slipped the purse back into his mother's bag, he heard Serenity coming into the kitchen. "Ready to go, Serenity?" Joey grinned, stuffing the notes into his back pocket hastily.  
  
Serenity nodded and smiled happily, her eyes filled with love for her brother. No matter how hard it gets for him, he always has to make sure everyone else around him is happy; that's what made Serenity look up to him so much.  
  
"Let's go." Joey lead the way to the front door, allowed Serenity to walk out, then shut the door quietly behind them both.


	5. Road Trip

They waited at the bus stop for five minutes before the right bus arrived. They got on, Joey paid the fare, and they took their seats at the back of the bus. Joey noticed how empty the streets were. He guessed it must have something to do with how early it was.  
  
The minute the bus started moving, Serenity sat up on her knees and was watching the world go by out of the window. Joey watched her with a smile. It felt good to see her so happy. But Joey knew there was something he had to talk to her about, even if it would ruin her carefree mood.  
  
"Serenity?"  
  
Serenity turned around to her brother. "Isn't it a lovely day, Joey?"  
  
"It sure is, sis." Joey nodded. "But, Serenity, there's something I need to talk to you about."  
  
Serenity sat down next to her brother and looked curious. She didn't like the sincerity in his voice.  
  
Joey gulped. It was now or never. Serenity needed to hear it from him, not his mom or dad. She needed to hear it from the one person who understands her, her big brother. He had seen all the obvious signs, so Joey knew it was coming. Serenity needed to know before it actually happened.  
  
"Listen, sis." Joey sighed. "I know this might be hard for you to understand. In fact, I'm not sure I even understand it myself right now. But I need you to listen and just try, okay?"  
  
Serenity nodded, a little hesitantly, but she seemed to understand so far.  
  
Joey cast his gaze away from his sister's face and looked out of the window instead. "I think...I think mom and dad...might be getting..." he didn't want to say the word; it made the whole scary situation seem too real, but he gathered up his courage for Serenity's sake. "I think mom and dad might be getting a divorce."  
  
Serenity continued to stare up at her brother, waiting for something more, some kind of explanation. When one didn't come, she blinked up at her brother. "Is that good?" she asked, quietly and innocently.  
  
Joey shook his head, still gazing out of the window. He felt sorry for Serenity; being so young, and not being able to understand that her whole little world was going to come crashing down around her. "It's not good, Serenity." Joey sighed again, wishing he had wings to swoop out of that window with Serenity in his arms, and fly away to better place, to start again. He wished he could take care of her by himself. "If mom and dad get divorced, they'll move away and live apart. I've seen it happen on TV."  
  
Serenity gripped her brother's arm and Joey looked into her tear-filled eyes. "But...I'll still have you, won't I, Joey?"  
  
Joey reached out and pulled Serenity closer. "Don't worry about it, sis." Then he smiled. "Let's just forget about it and have a good day, right? Let's just forget mom and dad and everything else for today and have fun, just the two of us!"  
  
Serenity grinned and sat on her brother's lap, where she stayed for the rest of the journey, just having fun, like Joey told her to.


	6. New Experiences

**Author's Note: **This is probably one of my most favourite chapters. I don't know why. It's just so sweet! Let me know what you think!

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As the bus pulled up at the bus stop, only Joey and Serenity got off.  
  
Serenity stared around as the bus drove away. "Where are we, Joey? Where've you taken me today, big brother?" The place looked strange to her, like the middle of nowhere.  
  
Joey looked down to Serenity and beamed. "To the beach! That's what you said you wanted." Joey said, casting his mind back about a week or so before, when the two had been discussing their dreams. He had remembered just this morning that the beach was the place she said she most wanted to go.  
  
Serenity's eyes lit up and she nodded happily. And, holding her brother's hand, she began to walk with him to the big blue and yellow stretch she could see in front of her. "Hey, Joey." Serenity stopped walking for a second and looked at the view.  
  
Joey stopped too and looked at Serenity, worried that there was something wrong. "Yeah?"  
  
"You're the world's best brother!" Serenity smiled and broke into a run, itching to get near that beautiful sea.  
  
Still holding his sister's hand, Joey ran too, and laughed nervously at his sister's words. Does she really think that? Joey's heart was swelling with pride. Maybe...Maybe I'm not such a bad brother, after all...  
  
They ran all the way down to the seashore, right to the edge of the sand, where Serenity stopped and stared out at the true blue sea that went so far it hit the sky. She watched seagulls flying around and squawking to each other. A lone lighthouse was standing in the foreground of this somehow painted picture. "Oh, Joey..." Serenity gasped. "It looks so pretty!"  
  
"And so cold!" Joey shouted from her right-hand side.  
  
Serenity looked towards him and saw him paddling in the tide, which was going in and out, in and out for infinity. She smiled as a small wave headed towards him. He jumped in surprise and tried to get away. Serenity laughed as the wave covered him and soaked him thoroughly.  
  
Joey lay down on the sand, dripping wet, gasping for breath, but still laughing. Serenity walked over and sat down beside him. "I think today's gonna be fun!" Joey grinned, catching his breath back.  
  
Serenity nodded, then gasped and stood up. "Joey! Look at all these lovely sea-shells!"


	7. Sunset

Sunset was now upon them, bleaching the sun an orangey-red as oppose to its blue. Joey and Serenity had explored every corner of the beach, done everything there was to do, and claimed each part of the beach as their own.  
  
They were building a sandcastle now, with their bare hands. Joey had been thinking all day that they should be getting back. After all, their parents had no idea where they were. Deep down, a little mean part of Joey kept telling his head that his mom and dad wouldn't care that they had gone.  
  
"What a great day..." Joey said, making the finishing touches to their sandcastle. "We gotta come back here!" He was still living inside the perfect little world that he and his sister had created for themselves. He didn't want to come back to reality. He just wished he cold have stayed in that moment with Serenity for the rest of his life...  
  
But Serenity had already come back to reality. "But...how?" she stopped working on the sandcastle and looked at her brother.  
  
Joey continued working, carried away by his own thoughts and dreams. "Don't worry, even if mom and dad do get divorced and they have to live apart, I'll still...bring you back to this place someday." Joey realised that he had yet again said something he couldn't be quite sure he meant.  
  
Serenity's eyes lit up again. "You promise?" Serenity held out her little finger to her brother.  
  
Serenity's voice was so full of trust; Joey knew he had to agree. "Yeah, I promise." Joey thought that, well, maybe it wasn't as hard as it seemed. Maybe he could bring Serenity back here. So held out his little finger too, and gripped it with Serenity's, completing their pinky-promise ritual. He knew he couldn't go back on it now.  
  
Joey looked towards the sunset and managed to look alarmed, even though he knew it was late now. "Serenity, we should be getting back now."  
  
Serenity sighed, but obediently stood up and brushed herself off, sand falling like a snowstorm around her feet.  
  
Joey stood up too, hating the fact that he had ruined the moment. He watched Serenity pick up a small shell from the sand and brush it off. "Can I take this with me?"  
  
Joey nodded and said, "Yeah, but hurry up or we'll miss the bus!"  
  
So Serenity slipped the shell in her pocket and took her brother's hand.  
  
They ran all the way up to the bus stop. As they stood there, they both gazed out at the beach.  
  
"I can't wait to come back here." Serenity sighed.  
  
"Me neither." Joey said, breathing in deeply and inhaling the smell of the salty sea air. He couldn't take in all of the things there were around him, there was so many.  
  
He could hear the soft sea breeze echoing in his ears, and the distant sound of breaking waves.  
  
He could see the beautiful setting sun, a perfectly round, blood red circle.  
  
Joey looked towards Serenity and saw her taking in all her surroundings too.  
  
Just then, the sound of the bus's rattling engine brought the two back to Earth with a nasty bump.


	8. Back Home

**Author's Note**: Very short chappie! O.o Sorry about that!

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On the ride home, Serenity fell asleep in Joey's arms. He was too awake to sleep. He didn't know what would happen when he got home. He didn't have a clue what he – and Serenity – would have to face.  
  
It could be nothing but bad. Joey cuddled Serenity even closer as he started to recognise the streets they were driving through. His stomach clenched tighter as many thoughts of what could happen ran through his head.


	9. The Same Old Thing

Joey and Serenity arrived on their front doorstep, tired and fearing the worst.  
  
Joey looked at Serenity and smiled encouragingly as he lifted his fist to knock the door. He hoped his smile had been convincing; he actually felt ready to throw up.  
  
He noticed Serenity hadn't smiled back. She hadn't even looked at him. She was looking at the door, staring in a determined way.  
  
Joey knocked.  
  
Almost the same second as he did so, his mother's worried face appeared in the doorway. "You're back!" she cried. She fell to her knees and allowed Serenity to hug her.  
  
Joey stood there awkwardly. Why did he have a nasty feeling that his mother was pleased only to see Serenity?  
  
Just then, his mother stood up and pushed Serenity gently into the space beside her, then turned her gaze on Joey. "Joseph! Where have you been?!"  
  
Joey winced. He had never been yelled at by his mother before. Then he heard it. An almighty bellowing coming from upstairs, heavy footsteps on the floorboards. Then he smelt it. The smell of beer and what must have been every alcoholic drink in the world mixed together hit his nostrils. Joey recoiled in fear as his father began to trudge down the stairs. "Celeste?! Is that wretched boy back yet?!" he growled.  
  
Joey looked at his mother, as if asking for help, reprieve from the unpredictable monster coming down the stairs, but her expression remained cold and frozen as ice.  
  
"Where've you been, Joseph?!" his father bellowed.  
  
Serenity stood and shivered with fear, hiding behind her mother as she watched her brother cower under the towering form of her father. She felt powerless...what could she do?  
  
Joey backed away against the front door as his father loomed over him. Joey felt small and insignificant as he stared up at the face of the one person he hated the most.  
  
"Where've you been, boy!?" his father growled, more urgently this time. "You do understand what your mother's been going through, waiting for you to come home? You do realise she's nearly had the cops out looking for you useless kids?!"  
  
Joey stood, paralysed by fear, and looking with pleading eyes towards his mother. "Mom..." he whispered quietly.  
  
"You're trying my patience, boy!!! Now where have you been?" his father yelled, right into Joey's ear.  
  
Joey curled up in fear. He was crouched in the corner, not just feeling small, but wanting to be small; so small, he would disappear.  
  
Serenity looked up to her mother. Why wasn't she helping Joey? Why was she letting her father yell at him? Surely she could do something?  
  
"I...I was just...taking Serenity out. She...she said she wanted to go to the beach...so I took her." Joey said through his tears.  
  
"Out?! Out?!" his father yelled even louder. "Oh, to the beach now, was it?! What if something had happened to her, you stupid boy?!?"  
  
"I just wanted to make her happy!! I'm her big brother, I –" Joey felt a bit more courageous, but was still crying hysterically. "I'm sorry!!"  
  
"Oh, you will be sorry..." his father said harshly, raising his hand, ready to hit Joey.  
  
Joey covered his eyes, ready for the impact. He cringed and gritted his teeth.  
  
"Ow!!!"  
  
Joey looked up as he heard his father yell. Then he saw Serenity standing bravely in front of him. She had stamped on his foot.  
  
"Leave Joey alone!!" Serenity cried out, yelling as loud as her little voice would allow her, tears of anger rolling down her cheeks, her fists clenched, her arms tensed by her sides. "He is the best big brother anyone could want and I love him!! He is so kind to me, not like you!!! I hate you daddy, you always hit mom and make her cry, you upset Joey and me, and you ruined everything!! I hate you!!!"  
  
Her father stood, staring in disbelief at Serenity. Then his expression changed. His face turned harsh and he raised his hand again.  
  
"No!!" Joey heard his mother gasp.  
  
Joey jumped up as he heard the impact of his father's hand against the side of Serenity's face.  
  
Serenity just stood there, wavering, not quite believing herself or what had just happened, tears still rolling down her cheeks, her gaze still fixed straight into her father's eyes.  
  
"How...How could you?!" their mother gasped.  
  
Their father turned around sharply and cornered their mother.  
  
Joey reacted quickly, grabbed Serenity and ran upstairs. Joey locked them both in the bathroom, and they listened to the banging, yelling, smashing and screaming noises from downstairs. It sounded worse than usual.  
  
Joey and Serenity curled up together in the corner of the room and cried.


	10. Keep Sleeping

**Author's Note: **I was hoping for no more short chapters, but it kind of didn't happen... oh well, I guess this is the last one now!

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Once they had heard the usual commotion of the argument had finished – the door had banged shut to announce their father's leaving and all was quiet but for the sound of their mother's crying – Joey and Serenity crept out of the bathroom and into Joey's room, where they slept as best they could, both curled up in Joey's bed.  
  
They both tossed and turned that night, not knowing the very worst was to come the following day.


	11. Much More Than a Nightmare

"Joey!!!"  
  
Joey woke up sharply, hearing a far-off voice calling his name. He sat up in his bed and realised Serenity was missing.  
  
"Serenity!! Where are you?!" Joey jumped out of bed and raced down the stairs. He followed Serenity's cries outside. He opened the front door and stared in disbelief at what he was seeing.  
  
His mother had bags in the car, piled high. She was in the front seat, starting up the car.  
  
Then Joey panicked as he saw Serenity in the back seat of the car, crying and calling out to him. Joey ran down to the car, where his mother had just turned on the engine.  
  
"Joey!!!" Serenity cried, pressing herself against the glass of the car window. She tugged at the door handle, but her mother had locked the doors.  
  
Her mother put her foot on the pedal and the car started to drive away.  
  
"Serenity!!! Don't go!!!" Joey called out, running after the car. "Wait!!"  
  
Joey ran as fast and far as he could, managing to keep up until he reached the end of the street.  
  
There he stood, watching hopelessly as Serenity's face, streaming with tears, called after him from the back window.  
  
Joey stood, feeling miserable and lonely. He realised he was crying and ran back to the house.  
  
He shut himself in his room and knew that he had once again been useless, and now he had to pay the ultimate price.  
  
Serenity was gone, and he knew it. He knew she wasn't coming back.  
  
Joey sank to the floor, crying and feeling pathetic. It was like his mother had not only taken his little sister and best friend away, but it always felt like she had taken a part of him.  
  
He knew he was nothing without Serenity.  
  
Just then, he heard the front door bang. He looked up and held his breath hopefully. Maybe his mother had changed her mind?  
  
Any minute now, he would hear Serenity running up the stairs, calling to him...  
  
Joey's heart sank as he heard the familiar grunts of his father downstairs. He hadn't come home last night, but now that he was back, when he realised they had gone...  
  
"Joseph!!!" Joey's stomach clenched as he heard his father stomp up the stairs.  
  
Joey's door swung open sharply and his father's angry face appeared in front of him.  
  
Joey looked at the floor, his eyes streaming with tears, feeling more insignificant than he had ever felt before, knowing that he was going to have to face his father's anger.  
  
"Where's your mother?!" his father shouted. The smell of drink coming off him made Joey feel suffocated.  
  
"They've gone." Joey said, in a voice close to a whisper.  
  
"What do you mean, gone?!"


	12. Thoughts of a Little One

Serenity sat in the back of the car, still crying. She wondered why her mother had done this to her and Joey.  
  
Serenity looked out of her window and wondered what her brother was doing right now. She held the seashell she had collected from her trip to the beach tight in her hand. She wondered if her father was back yet. She wondered what he would what he would do to Joey when he found out she was gone. She wondered where her mother was taking her.  
  
Serenity closed her eyes as all these thoughts filled her mind. There was so much she wanted to get her little head around, but couldn't.  
  
Her mother didn't even look back at her in the car; she just kept her gaze forward and concentrated on driving. She seemed to know where she was headed, but Serenity didn't recognise a street.  
  
Serenity finally stopped crying long enough to ask her mother one of the questions that was making her think. "Mommy? Where are we going?"  
  
Her mother didn't take her eyes off the road. "To our new home, Serenity."  
  
Serenity looked at her mother, trying to ignore the rain that was beating on the car windows. "But...what about Joey and Daddy?"  
  
"Forget about them." Her mother said grimly, in a voice that made Serenity want to cry even more.


	13. Strong Enough

Joey lay down on his bedroom floor; battered, bruised and crying hysterically.  
  
His father had decided that Joey did know where his mother and sister had gone, and decided to beat the answer out of him.  
  
Serenity wasn't there to protect him that time.  
  
Joey's father had just banged out of his room, and had just left the house, slamming the front door behind him.  
  
Joey couldn't stop crying. He sat up and caught sight of himself in the mirror – tears falling down his cheeks, his eyes small and red from crying, his lip swollen, bruises beginning to appear on his face and body.  
  
Yet again, he looked pathetic.  
  
Joey stood upright, not daring to look at his reflection again. He walked over to the window and looked outside. The sky had greyed over, and rain was pouring down, hitting the glass noisily. The weather reflected his mood.  
  
He wondered where his sister was now. He wondered where she was going.  
  
What a way to upset him: Taking away his best friend in the whole world, his little sister, to who knows where, and leave him with his dad who had now resolved to using him as a punch bag and leaving him with nothing but bruises.  
  
But the bruises felt deeper than just on his skin. Joey felt as though his father had kicked and punched his heart around.  
  
Joey teared himself away from the window, and, still sobbing uncontrollably, went into Serenity's room.  
  
It felt so...different without her. Nothing had changed, just a few toys and some of her clothes had gone missing, but it felt like much more was missing than just a few items.  
  
Joey sat on Serenity's bed and stared around hopelessly. He felt as though he deserved the bruises and the pain he was feeling. He couldn't have let Serenity down anymore than he already had done.  
  
He was such a useless kid, and he knew it. He just couldn't figure out why he was such a loser.  
  
He would help Serenity; he would see her again, no matter how long it took for him to find her.


	14. Time at School

_- - - 6 years later - - -_

Joey stood outside the school gates.  
  
He wasn't a little kid anymore. He was in his first year of high school, and he was tougher. A lot tougher.  
  
He leaned against the gate, his hands in his pockets, waiting for his gang to show up.  
  
He had to be tough now, anyway. High school wasn't an easy place to fit in. And after years of countless beatings from his father, being forced to move away to a tiny apartment in the rough down-town area of Domino City, and going through the pain of his mother and sister leaving, Joey felt he was ready for whatever life had in store for him.  
  
Joey looked up towards the sky. He hadn't found Serenity yet, but he still thought about her everyday. Everything he did was for her.  
  
Joey smirked as a small guy with spiky hair walked past, talking to a taller girl with brown hair. Joey noticed the boy was wearing a strange pyramid-shaped necklace around his neck.  
  
As the guy and girl passed Joey, headed towards the school doors, Joey stuck his foot out slyly.  
  
The little guy, who was deep in conversation with the girl, didn't notice and tripped right over Joey's foot.  
  
"Watch your step!" Joey laughed.  
  
The girl turned to Joey and tutted at him loudly. The boy looked up at Joey angrily.  
  
As the two began to walk away, Joey heard the girl say, "That Wheeler guy is such a jerk..."  
  
Joey looked back across the street and saw his gang.  
  
"Yo, Wheeler!" the leader of the gang, a guy called Diesel Kane called to Joey, and he and the rest of the gang made their way over.  
  
Joey stood up straight and joined the group as they walked into the school doors.  
  
The gang then stood on either side of the corridor, leaning on the walls, trying to trip over unsuspecting people.  
  
Joey was standing next to a guy in the gang called Tristan Taylor. Tristan turned to him, "Hey Wheeler, I saw that one you pulled on that squirt Yugi outside. That was a good one!" he laughed.  
  
"Thanks, Tristan." Joey said, smiling in a cool way.  
  
Then he caught sight of Yugi across the corridor. He was looking at them with mournful eyes. It was obvious he had heard them talking about him. Joey nudged Tristan and they both stared back at Yugi until he went away.  
  
"He sure is creepy, that kid Yugi." Joey said, coolly, speaking in his usual way; the New York gangster-type speech. He had adapted it over his years of living downtown.  
  
"You're telling me..." Tristan nodded. "And what's with that gold thing he wears around his neck?"  
  
Just then, the class bell rang.  
  
Joey and the gang said their 'see you laters', then walked reluctantly towards their classrooms.  
  
As Tristan and Joey walked into their classroom, they saw their classmates taking their seats. Joey and Tristan walked to the back of the class and took their usual places.  
  
Joey spotted Yugi sitting near the front of the class. He was still talking to that girl – Joey suddenly remembered her name was Tea Gardner – over some cards.  
  
Joey leaned over towards Tristan as he watched Yugi putting away the cards into his backpack. "What're those weird cards that Yugi-kid keeps playing with?"  
  
Tristan shrugged. "Beats me."  
  
Joey leaned back in his chair and tried to think of a new way to torment little Yugi after school.  
  
His eyes rested on Yugi's weird necklace and he smirked.


	15. The First Mistake

The school bell rang at the end of the day, signalling it was time to go home. But as their class filed out, Joey and Tristan hung back in their classroom, making a big deal of packing away their things.  
  
Joey was starting to get annoyed. How long does it take that little squirt to put his things into his backpack?  
  
Yugi had said goodbye to Tea a few minutes earlier; she was saying something about 'practice'.  
  
By now, the whole classroom was empty, but for Yugi, Joey and Tristan.  
  
Yugi finally finished packing his bag and had just swung it on to his back, when Joey and Tristan approached him, big fake grins on their faces, blocking his way to the door.  
  
"Hey there, little Yugi." Joey said, in a fake nice voice.  
  
Yugi looked up at Joey and Tristan. He couldn't work out why two of the biggest jerks in the school were being nice to him. Yugi smiled a little hesitantly to them. "Hello."  
  
Joey smiled an even wider fake grin. He's falling for it!  
  
Tristan, who was also playing along, gave Yugi another fake smile. "Hey, Yugi, me and Joey were just talking about that necklace of yours." Tristan's eyes glinted; he was about to get it! "What exactly is it?" Tristan said, examining it with fake interest.  
  
Yugi smiled again, obviously trusting that Joey and Tristan were being nice to him, after all. "Oh, you mean my Millennium Puzzle?" Yugi held it in his hands. "Well, I'm not quite sure what it is, really." He admitted.  
  
Joey nodded knowingly. "Well, Tristan's good with stuff like that. Maybe...you should let him take a look. He might be able to tell you what it is." Tristan looked surprised at this information, but nodded convincingly.  
  
Yugi looked from Joey to Tristan, and from Tristan to Joey again, not seeing through their fake enthusiasm. "Okay." Yugi sounded a little unsure, but he seemed to want – and more importantly, need – help with trying to figure out what the Millennium Puzzle was. Yugi began to take the Puzzle from around his neck, lifting the rope the Puzzle was attached to over his head. "Just be careful with it." Yugi said, handing the Puzzle carefully to Tristan.  
  
Tristan held out his hands and took the Puzzle from Yugi. Almost instantly, he and Joey sprang into action. Tristan ran with the Puzzle to the back of the room. Yugi ran after him, shouting, "Hey!"  
  
Tristan stood at the back of the class, holding the Puzzle in his hand high in the air. Yugi was so short, he couldn't reach. "Give it back!" Yugi said, jumping up and down, trying to reach the Puzzle.  
  
"Heads up, Wheeler!" Tristan called to Joey, who was at the front of the class. Tristan threw the Puzzle to Joey.  
  
Joey caught it, and as Yugi dashed over to him, Joey ran over to the window. He pushed it open and held the Puzzle out of it, swinging it dangerously by its rope.  
  
"Don't!! Please give it back to me!" Yugi pleaded.  
  
Joey's face went into a look of fake sympathy as he pulled the Puzzle from the two-storey drop and into the classroom. "Aaaww, little Yugi wants his necklace back, does he?" Joey held it within Yugi's reach. As Yugi reached out to get it, Joey dropped it on the floor and stamped on it. "There you go." Joey laughed, looking at the pieces of the Puzzle scattered around the classroom floor.  
  
"My Puzzle!" Yugi cried, falling to his knees, trying to gather up all the pieces.  
  
Tristan was laughing too, as he watched Yugi scrambling around the floor, picking up the Puzzle pieces. But he wasn't laughing the way he usually did. He was laughing unsurely. He knew then that maybe he and Joey were...doing the wrong thing...  
  
Joey, however, seemed to have no regrets over what he was doing. He was laughing wildly, watching Yugi struggle to keep hold of all his Puzzle pieces. As Yugi reached out to grab the last piece, Joey put his foot on it. He dragged it across the floor to himself and picked it up.  
  
Joey held the last Puzzle piece out of the window. He looked down and saw the drop and the swimming pool underneath. Joey smirked cruelly again, and threw the Puzzle piece as deep into the swimming pool as he could. "Oops..." Joey mimed concern, then started laughing again.  
  
Yugi was sitting on the floor, at Joey's feet, looking as if he was going to cry.  
  
Saying nothing more, Tristan and Joey ran out of the classroom, and out of the school gates.  
  
They stopped to rest in the gang's usual hangout: a small alleyway a few blocks away from the school. Joey was still laughing, but Tristan looked serious and thoughtful.  
  
They waited there for the rest of the gang. They sat down on some crates on opposite sides of alley, and everything stayed silent for a while.  
  
Joey looked at Tristan. He had stopped laughing a couple of minutes before, when he realised that Tristan didn't look amused. "What's up, Tristan? I would've thought getting one over on that Yugi-kid would've made you smile at least!"  
  
Tristan looked across to Joey. "Maybe..."  
  
Joey noticed that there was something really making Tristan think. "What's up?!?"  
  
Tristan hesitated. "Well...don't you think we were kinda...doing the wrong thing...bullying Yugi? It's just I got this feeling that we shouldn't be doing it."  
  
Joey smiled and leaned back against the wall, miming relaxation. "Relax, pal."  
  
Tristan looked unsure, and the air fell silent again.  
  
"What kind of feeling?" Joey asked Tristan eventually.  
  
Tristan shrugged. "Just a...gut feeling."  
  
Then the two quietened as they heard voices and footsteps at the end of the alleyway.  
  
The figures of six other people appeared. As they came closer, Joey and Tristan saw their gang.  
  
They stood up to greet them as Diesel approached, leading the way, as usual.  
  
"Yo, Wheeler, Taylor." Diesel said, in his usual cool way.  
  
"Hey, Diesel." Joey said, sitting back down along with Tristan. The two watched their gang bustling around, arranging seats from the crates and boxes scattered through the alleyway. Joey and Tristan sat and stared at each other. They both knew it was coming. They tried to avoid this gang ritual every time it happened.  
  
Joey and Tristan looked on expectantly. And sure enough, the older guys of the gang started pulling out bottles of alcohol and packets of cigarettes.  
  
The rest of the gang started opening the bottles and lighting up the cigarettes. Joey and Tristan were always left alone, as the rest of the gang knew that they both 'had a problem with having fun' as Diesel put it. And that was the way Joey and Tristan liked it.  
  
Joey lowered his eyes to the floor, as he smelt the vile combined smell of booze and smoke. He felt like he couldn't breathe. No one else knew this, but Joey didn't touch the stuff because he didn't want to end up like his father. Plus the fact that he knew it was wrong and he didn't like it.  
  
Tristan was by far the most sensible member of the group and he knew that most of the stuff was probably stolen. Plus he knew that he knew it wasn't big or clever to do what they were doing.  
  
Sure, the two had had a beating-up for refusing to join in before. Diesel didn't like it when people refused to do what he said. Joey and Tristan and nearly been forced to drink the stuff.  
  
Joey shuddered at the thought. All the beatings and booze involved made Joey think that maybe every member of this gang was going to turn out like his father.  
  
Both Joey and Tristan sometimes wished that they had made a better choice in friends, but it was too late for that now. Everyone at Domino High and beyond knew Joey and Tristan were jerks and bullies, so nobody liked them. But since they had their reputation now, they had to uphold it. Especially if they wanted to stay in their gang with the only friends they had. Plus Joey and Tristan knew that trying to leave the gang would probably cost them a few broken bones.  
  
Just then, footsteps at the end of the alleyway entrance made a few of the gang members stand up warily, ready to confront who ever was daring to come into their territory.  
  
Joey and Tristan stayed seated, keeping quiet. Joey buried his head in his hands, doing his best not to be recognised by anyone who might know him. If someone saw who he was hanging around with and told his father, Joey didn't even want to think about what his dad would do to him.  
  
The footsteps grew closer. Joey and Tristan heard the rest of the gang tense up as a figure approached.  
  
When the person got close enough, Diesel grinned maliciously. "Well, if it isn't little Yugi."  
  
Joey looked up in surprise and, sure enough, there stood Yugi Muto, looking scared, but at the same time, determined.  
  
Joey glanced over to Tristan, who was staring at Yugi in surprise too. Was Yugi mad to come over here? Did he know what it meant to step on Diesel's territory?  
  
The gang members who were standing up started to corner Yugi. Yugi backed away, until he could go no further. His back was square against the wall, and Diesel was staring down at him.  
  
"So...you come to play with us, little Yugi?" Diesel snarled.  
  
Yugi shook his head rapidly, looking more and more terrified by the minute.  
  
"The what are you here for, twerp?!" Diesel yelled, right into Yugi's face.  
  
Joey looked on, feeling powerless. Now he knew what Tristan meant. Now he knew something about this was wrong.  
  
Yugi turned his head towards Joey and Tristan. His eyes were pleading them to help him. "I came...I need to speak with Joey and Tristan."  
  
Diesel grinned. "Hey, Wheeler, this kid wants to talk with you...what do you say?"  
  
Joey realised with a jolt that Yugi's situation was very much like his own, when he was back home with his father.  
  
Joey could feel Diesel willing him to come over and give Yugi a beating. Joey thought of Serenity and a strange kind of courage swept over him. He stood up, his eyes cast to the ground, but he still sounded strong. "Let him go, Diesel."  
  
Tristan looked up at Joey, and knew that he had finally got that feeling of wrongdoing too. Tristan stood up. "Yeah, leave him alone." Tristan also seemed a bit unsure of himself.  
  
Diesel looked shocked for a minute. Then he grinned. Suddenly, he turned and pinned Yugi against the wall with his hand.  
  
Yugi recoiled as he hit the wall, expecting another blow from Diesel.  
  
"That's enough, Diesel!" Joey shouted, looking more confident now.  
  
"Yeah, he's done nothing to you, so just leave him alone!" Tristan yelled, also looking more confident.  
  
Diesel was getting frustrated. Those two do-gooders were humiliating him in front of the other gang members. "Gang! We got somewhere to be." Diesel started to lead the gang away. The gang members were all looking at each other in surprise. Diesel had never let anyone walk all over him before.  
  
As Diesel stormed away, he let Yugi go. He fell to the floor and groaned.  
  
Joey watched them walking away. They had really just got away with that?  
  
Just then, Diesel put his hand out to stop one of the gang members. He was a big muscly guy by the name of Demetrius.  
  
"Not you, Demetrius." Diesel grinned. "Last I hear, Wheeler and his little friends are taking a trip to the dumpster. Would you be so kind as to show them the way to the nearest one?"  
  
Joey panicked as Demetrius turned around. He was as ugly as a dog, nearly twice Joey's height and weight, arms like tree- stumps and a brain to match.  
  
Tristan gulped. They were in for it now.  
  
Diesel laughed as he walked away, the rest of the gang chuckling grimly.  
  
Yugi just sat there, frozen with fear, watching Demetrius cornering Joey and Tristan.  
  
They fought as best they could, but Demetrius literally kicked them around the alleyway, holding them at arm's length so they couldn't touch him. He was just too strong, even for the both of them.  
  
Demetrius was laughing insanely as he took hold of Joey with one hand and Tristan in the other and slammed them against the wall.  
  
They fell to the floor, battered and bruised, looking up at Demetrius, who was still grinning wildly.  
  
"What do we do?" Tristan said weakly. They were both expecting something more, one more blow that could knock them out cold.  
  
"Sshh!" Joey hushed Tristan. He couldn't think what to do or say. He'd rather just shut up and let Demetrius get on with it. It probably wouldn't be half as bad as what his father would do to him when he got home; he was already late. Suddenly, Joey felt like a kid again. He couldn't stand much more of these beatings. For how long had he been labelled a human punch bag?  
  
Just then, Yugi pulled himself up from the ground. No one deserves to get beaten up, he thought. He stood determinedly as Demetrius turned around.  
  
Joey looked up, dragging his head up with effort, and saw Yugi. What was he doing now?  
  
"I kinda glad you showed up, little Yugi." Demetrius taunted. "You're about to see me mop the floor with these guys. Then you're next."  
  
"Get back! Leave them alone!" Yugi yelled. He seemed to be acting pretty tough, in spite of his appearance; but you could still see the fear burning in his eyes.  
  
"Who's gonna stop me? A little shrimp like you? I don't think so." Demetrius said, turning back to Joey and Tristan, apparently not caring if Yugi was trying to stand up to him. "Get lost."  
  
Yugi ran around Demetrius so quick, he didn't realise what was happening. Then Yugi stood in front of Joey and Tristan, his arms spread out, trying to protect them. "I won't let you!" Yugi said, calmly. "These guys are my friends."  
  
Joey looked at Yugi in surprise. Friends? After all they had done to him? Joey felt somewhat...privileged. He had never been called someone's friend before in his life.  
  
Yugi started quaking with fear as Demetrius stood and laughed at him, still unfazed. "Okay, tough guy. You jumped to the head of the line." Demetrius raised his fist. "Say your prayers, you runt!"


	16. Admitting Your Faults

After Demetrius had left, Joey pulled himself up out of the dumpster. No matter how hard Yugi had tried to stand up for them, all three of them had ended up in the dumpster.  
  
Joey jumped down on to the ground and looked back to Tristan, who followed his lead.  
  
As Tristan's feet touched the floor, he and Joey looked back at Yugi, who was bleeding in several places and looked in pain, even though his eyes were closed.  
  
Tristan eyed him with concern. "The little guy's still out cold."  
  
Joey examined Yugi closer for a minute, then he reached forward and lifted Yugi out of the dumpster. He placed him on the floor. "Yugi? Yugi, wake up, man!" Joey said, shaking Yugi gently. Joey silently willed Yugi to wake up. He felt guilty. Yugi would have never ended up like this if it wasn't for him and Tristan.  
  
"D'you think he's okay?" Tristan asked Joey, sounding worried.  
  
Just then, Yugi began to stir. His eyelids twitched and he opened them slowly. He was still shaking.  
  
Joey smiled slightly as Yugi sat himself up, wincing as he felt his injuries.  
  
"Hey, are you okay?" Tristan said. Both he and Joey seemed to have forgotten about their injuries and were concentrating on Yugi.  
  
Yugi held his head, feeling it throbbing. "I'm fine..."  
  
"Let's get out of here." Joey said, motioning to Tristan and they both started to help Yugi to his feet.  
  
As they both half-carried Yugi out of the alleyway, Joey noticed how dark it was. He was supposed to have been home hours ago. His father was going to kill him.  
  
"I'll be f-fine from here. Thanks, guys." Yugi said, as they walked out of the dark alleyway and into the dimly lit street. He pulled away from Joey and Tristan's support, stumbling a little as he stood up by himself.  
  
"Are you sure?" Joey said, looking around him. He had to get moving soon. "You look a bit worse for wear."  
  
"Yeah, are you sure you don't want us to walk you home?" Tristan said.  
  
Yugi shook his head gently. "No, thanks. Besides you two need to get home yourselves and get something on those cuts and bruises." Yugi said, starting to limp away down the street.  
  
Joey and Tristan stood and watched him go.  
  
"Hey, Yugi!" Joey shouted to him, as he was halfway down the street. "Thanks for everything, pal!"  
  
Yugi didn't turn around, but he smiled to himself as he limped away towards his house. Joey had called him 'pal'...  
  
As Yugi disappeared into the darkness, Joey turned to walk away. Tristan followed, and the two friends walked along in silence. As they reached the street where they normally parted ways, Joey didn't take his usual turning, and carried on walking with Tristan.  
  
"Hey, isn't your place that a way?" Tristan said, pointing the way to Joey's apartment.  
  
"Yeah, but I got stuff to do first." Joey took the turning towards the school instead.  
  
Tristan followed. "Where are you going?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
They walked along in silence again for a couple of minutes, until Tristan saw the school up ahead of them. "Hey, are you going back to school?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Joey didn't answer. They had reached the school gates. Joey stopped walking and put his foot on one of the iron bars on the gate. He started to pull himself up, climbing as fast as he could, up and over the gate.  
  
As Joey jumped and landed cat-like on the other side, Tristan called to him. "What're you doing?" When he didn't get an answer, Tristan sighed, then pulled himself up over the gate and followed Joey.  
  
He wasn't headed for the main school building; he was headed for the outdoor swimming pool.  
  
Tristan suddenly understood and jogged to catch up with Joey. "I get it...you're here to get Yugi's Puzzle piece, aren't you?"  
  
Joey just smiled, but stayed focused forward.  
  
The pool came into view, and as Joey reached the edge, he stopped and peered through the deep, dark water and scoured the bottom for the last piece of Yugi's Puzzle. He hoped it was still there.  
  
He grinned as he spotted a golden glint at the bottom of the pool.  
  
Tristan looked at Joey. "How'd you plan on getting it out?"  
  
Joey didn't answer, but he dived straight into the pool, swimming towards the Puzzle piece.  
  
As he dived deeper into the freezing water, Joey realised he was running out of breath. He felt as if his lungs were going to explode as he clasped his hands around the piece, then looked up and swam towards the blurry outline of Tristan standing on the side of the pool.  
  
The cold night air filled Joey's lungs as he broke the surface of the water.  
  
"You got it?" Tristan asked, looking amazed at what Joey had just done.  
  
Joey held up the Puzzle piece triumphantly.  
  
Tristan grinned as he watched Joey pull himself up the steps. As soon as Joey stepped out of the water, he almost immediately started to shiver. It was even colder than the pool out in the cold night air.  
  
Joey slipped the Puzzle piece into his pocket, and tried to pull his jacket around himself tighter, trying to shut out the cold. He could breathe properly again now, but he still didn't feel much like talking, because now, the thought of going home to his father was even closer.  
  
Tristan clapped Joey on the back and urged him back towards the school gates. They both pulled themselves over and set off on the path towards home; Tristan still not noticing the sudden silence of his friend.  
  
Joey stood outside the door to his apartment. He needed to pull himself together a little before he went inside.  
  
He stood there, shivering, feeling just as he did on that day he stood on his front door step with Serenity after that day at the beach. Joey thought of Serenity and wished she were there with him, but he shook the thought of her away, realising that thinking about her at a time like this was not a good idea.  
  
Joey took a deep breath and smelt the chlorine from the swimming pool on his clothes; it made him feel even more ill than he already did.  
  
He breathed out and put his hand on the door handle. He pushed down on it and realised it was locked.  
  
Joey's heart lifted a little as he dug into his coat pocket for his door key. As he put the key in the lock, he cheered up as he woke up to the fact that he might not have to explain to his father why he was four hours late, soaked to the bone, and covered in cuts and bruises.  
  
Joey pushed open the front door and saw that no one was home.  
  
He's probably out drinking, Joey thought to himself.  
  
But nevertheless, Joey quickly got changed, just in case his father came back.  
  
Joey put the Puzzle piece carefully on his bedside table as he began to think ahead to tomorrow.  
  
He felt like he had a lot to say to Yugi...


	17. Making Amends

Joey waited at the school doors the following morning, trying to avoid being seen by any of Diesel Kane's minions. Since the incident last night, everyone knew that Diesel was not on best terms with Joey. He scanned the crowd for Yugi, and when he finally spotted him coming through the school gates, Joey pushed his way towards him. "Hey, Yugi!" Joey shouted, calling him over to a space at the side of the moving crowd.  
  
Yugi smiled as he saw Joey and made his way – with difficulty – towards him.  
  
As Yugi finally emerged from the crowd, Joey grinned as he ran over in his head what he was going to say.  
  
"Hey, Joey. What's up?"  
  
"I want to apologise, Yugi. I've been acting like a real jerk." Joey said, shrugging slightly. He was truly sorry, but the last thing he expected was for Yugi to forgive him.  
  
"Oh, were you acting?" Yugi said, with a hint of sarcasm.  
  
Joey laughed at Yugi's remark. "I guess I deserved that one. If you ask me, I think Tristan and I may have underestimated you."  
  
"Huh?" Yugi blinked up at Joey, wondering what he meant.  
  
"You know, Yugi, you're a tougher kid than I ever gave you credit for. Maybe we should hang out more often. What do you say?" Joey looked at Yugi, gauging his reaction, expecting him to laugh in his face.  
  
Yugi remained blank for a moment, registering what Joey had said, then he smiled and nodded.  
  
"Oh..." Joey started rummaging around in his pocket. He grinned as he pulled out the piece of Yugi's Puzzle and held it out to him. "I think this belongs to you."  
  
Yugi's face lit up as he saw the gold piece in Joey's hand. He reached out to get it, a little unsurely, wondering if this whole speech of Joey's was just another act to get one over on him.  
  
But as Yugi took the Puzzle piece in his hand, he knew that Joey was serious.  
  
Joey smiled to Yugi as he watched him take it.  
  
"Wow, thanks Joey." Yugi said, beaming, and slipping the Puzzle piece in his pocket.  
  
Joey was wondering what to say next, when the school bell rang. "Shall we go in?" Joey said, pointing towards the school doors.  
  
Yugi nodded, and then the two began to walk inside.  
  
Something inside Joey told him that he had made a friend for life.


	18. Discovery

_- - - 1 year later - - -_

Serenity sat in her chair, fidgeting nervously as she looked around the doctor's office. She caught sight of her mother, who cast her an anxious smile.  
  
Serenity didn't smile back; she just stayed focused on the desk in front of her, and the doctor's empty chair.  
  
When the doctor came back into the room, he would bring with him the results that Serenity and her mother had waited years for. Serenity had faced countless visits to the hospital, and many tests, and today was the day she found out if her eyesight was in jeopardy.  
  
She jumped as the sound of the doctor's door opening brought her out of her thoughts.  
  
She felt her heart beating wildly against her ribs as the doctor walked around the desk and sat down, examining his clipboard with great concentration.  
  
"Serenity, we have the results of your tests." The doctor said, still looking at his clipboard. He didn't seem to want to look at her.  
  
Serenity leaned forward slightly in her seat. "And?" she said quietly.  
  
The doctor shook his head grimly. "I'm afraid you tested positive."  
  
She heard her mother gasp, and the whole world seemed to freeze around her. She sat rigid in her chair, trying to think straight.  
  
She had the defect...  
  
As much as Serenity wanted to know what she actually had and what was going to happen to her next, she could not concentrate on what was being said between her mother and the doctor. Through her blurred vision she could see her mother's worried face and the doctor adjusting his spectacles, still glancing at his clipboard every now and again.  
  
She felt sick and slowly stood up and took herself out of the room. Her mother didn't stop her; she knew that it was all too much for Serenity to take anyway.  
  
Serenity shut the door gently behind her and she automatically began to walk to the toilets, her mind not even concentrating on where she was going.  
  
She stood in front of the mirror on the wall and leaned on the sink in front of her. Her head was so full of thoughts, she didn't even realise that she was alone in there.  
  
As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she felt as if she couldn't even cry. She couldn't believe the time had actually come. It seemed like only yesterday that she was on the beach with Joey, seeing the sea for the first time.  
  
_Joey._  
  
A tear ran down Serenity's cheek as she thought of her big brother. Where was he now? She hadn't seen or spoken to him in years, but he wished he were there with her, like she did everyday.  
  
But...she was going to go blind...  
  
Suddenly, all hopes of ever seeing her brother again ebbed away.  
  
She stared into the mirror, having to try even harder to see, because her tears blurred her vision even more than usual.  
  
Serenity didn't move as the door opened. Her mother came in and put her arm around Serenity's shoulder.  
  
Serenity didn't react.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
Serenity saw her mother's face in the mirror and realised that she was crying too.  
  
Serenity turned to her mother and threw her arms around her, crying into her shoulder.  
  
Silent tears fell down her mother's face as she held Serenity tightly.  
  
"What...did he say?" Serenity said as best she could, wanting to know what the doctor had said to her mother.  
  
"There's nothing they can do..."  
  
Serenity lifted her head. "Nothing...?"  
  
"There are...specialists...but the operation would cost a fortune." Her mother said, choked by tears.  
  
Serenity sobbed harder. "How long until it...happens?"  
  
Her mother shook her head. "They're not sure."


	19. A Problem

Joey's head was full of thoughts as he made his way home from school.  
  
He couldn't remember how long he and Yugi had been friends now, but he knew that the events of the past few days would never be forgotten, by himself, Yugi, Tea or Tristan.  
  
Since Yugi introduced Joey to the card game known as Duel Monsters, nothing had been the same.  
  
It hardly seemed like a couple of days ago that Yugi beat the world champion Duel Monsters player, Seto Kaiba, in a duel. Joey would never forget that duel.  
  
Kaiba only duelled Yugi's grandpa to try and get his ultra rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. And when Kaiba did win, he tore up Yugi's grandpa's Blue-Eyes! And when Yugi decided to duel Kaiba himself to get revenge, they played on a field where the monsters actually came to life using Kaiba Corp's revolutionary holographic technology.  
  
As Joey turned the corner into his street, he smiled as he remembered Kaiba's face when Yugi summoned the unstoppable Exodia and won the match!  
  
Then Joey's heart sank a little as he remembered that he didn't have his Duel Monsters lessons tonight. Solomon Muto knew so much about the card game, and Yugi had persuaded him to teach Joey how to play properly. Joey had been working non- stop under Solomon's tutoring, but it looked like he'd have to wait a while until his next lesson. The head of Industrial Illusions, the company that makes the Duel Monsters cards, Maximillion Pegasus, had sent Yugi a package containing a weird glove, some stars and a video. Pegasus must have heard of Yugi's defeat over Kaiba, just like everyone else. When Yugi put the video on, he had to duel Pegasus! On a video! Joey hadn't quite figured out how that worked, but he knew that Pegasus beat Yugi and snatched his Grandpa's soul! Joey didn't actually remember it happening, but he knew that it did.  
  
Joey sighed as he pulled out his keys to open his apartment door. So much had happened to them, but he had a feeling all the trouble had just begun.  
  
Joey got inside and realised his father wasn't home again. He threw down his backpack and fell on to the sofa. What more could happen? And how were they going to get Solomon's soul back?  
  
Just then, Joey noticed the mail on the coffee table. He began to shuffle through it absent-mindedly. He stopped as he reached a square package addressed to him.  
  
He pulled off the paper, and found a video inside. There was no label or note or anything.  
  
"Wonder who this is from?" Joey said to himself. He shrugged and put it in the video player and pressed the play button.  
  
"Hey there, big brother. How've you been? I really miss you."  
  
"Serenity?" Joey stared at the TV in disbelief as his little sister's face appeared on the screen, smiling her same usual smile, but looking a lot older than she did when Joey last saw her.  
  
"I can't believe it's been six years since we've seen each other!" Serenity's image beamed. "I'll never forget the day mom took me to live with her."  
  
Joey's head filled with the thoughts of the day when that happened. He could even see it playing out in front of him. He didn't think he'd ever forget that day either, even though he wanted to.  
  
"I'm sending you this video just so you don't forget your little sister's face."  
  
Joey stared at the screen, dumbstruck. How could he ever forget Serenity?  
  
"It seems like I'm running out of time. I was hoping to see you once more before...well, you understand. Bye-bye, brother."  
  
"Run out of time?" It can't be..."  
  
"So long. Take care, Joey." Serenity's face faded from the screen.  
  
Joey stared at the TV, his eyes brimming with tears, hoping there was something more on the tape. But there wasn't. "Serenity..."  
  
Joey tossed and turned in his bed that night, thinking of Serenity. It couldn't be happening, could it? She couldn't really be going blind?  
  
Joey felt confused. He was at a loss. He couldn't contact Serenity, as she hadn't left an address or telephone number. If the time really had come, he knew that the only way forward was for his sister to have the operation that he heard his parents talking about all those years ago.  
  
From memory, he recalled the price of the operation was expensive. Very expensive.  
  
Joey tried to concentrate as he remembered his promise to himself when he was a kid. He wasn't about to let Serenity down now. He needed to find the money for the operation.  
  
But how...?


	20. An Answer

Joey stood and looked at the Yugi had lain out on his desk. He, Tristan and Tea were looking at the cards, listening to Yugi's explanation of how he had been invited to a Duel Monsters tournament in Duelist Kingdom.  
  
Joey couldn't make much sense out of the five cards, but he could tell they weren't like the cards he was used to playing with. Each was decorated with a different picture.  
  
"A tournament at Duelist Kingdom?" Tea said after Yugi had finished explaining. "Isn't that an island?"  
  
"So that's where Pegasus is keeping your grandpa?" Joey asked. He was trying to keep his mind on Yugi's problem, but his mind kept drifting towards Serenity.  
  
"Maybe. The only way to know for sure is to become a contestant." Yugi was looking at a card in his hand that had a picture of a ship on it. From what they could tell, it was a pass on to a boat. "The boat's going to be leaving in two days."  
  
"But you can't go! It could be dangerous!" Tea said, looking worried.  
  
"I have to go. "Yugi looked determined. "It's the only clue I have for rescuing Grandpa."  
  
"I still can't believe it." Tristan said. "Pegasus used some kind of weird spell to grab your grandpa's soul away. And now he's toying with you, forcing you to duel in the tournament."  
  
"Right. And without invitations we can't even go there with you." Joey said, his eyes scanning the cards on the table. "I wish we could help you, pal." It was true. Joey really did wish he could help Yugi. He knew what it was like to have someone you love snatched away from you.  
  
"This is bad." Tea said seriously.  
  
"Hey, Yugi." Tristan picked up a card off the table. The picture was one of gold and other treasures. "Check this out! According to this card, the tournament winner takes the grand prize of three million dollars!"  
  
"Three mill?" Joey said, suddenly extremely interested. Surely three million dollars could cover the cost of Serenity's operation?  
  
"So what, Tristan? Who cares about money at a time like this?" Yugi shrugged  
  
"Hey, gimme that!" Joey reached forward and snatched the card from Tristan's hand, looking at it with a grin on his face. "...Three million..."  
  
"Guess Joey does..." Yugi muttered to himself.  
  
Joey knew he was being a little insensitive, but he knew he had found the answer to Serenity's problem. "Three million...in cold cash..."


	21. A Distant Hope

Joey sat on the rooftop of the school, thinking over Pegasus's tournament.  
  
If he entered – if he could find a way to enter – he would have to face top-ranking duelists from all over the world, and he hadn't been playing for long. It would be a long shot, but if he could, he'd participate in this tournament for Serenity's sake.  
  
"Joey? What are you doing up here?"  
  
Joey turned his head and saw Yugi. "Hmm?"  
  
"What's with you?"  
  
"Ah, nothing. I'm just thinking about a whole lot of stuff." Joey turned his head back to look at the sunset. "Yugi...you do know that I care about your gramps, right? I mean, he taught me about the Heart of the Cards." Joey knew that the Heart of the Cards was an important faith he needed as a duelist. Believe in your deck, and your cards will always come through for you.  
  
"Of course I know."  
  
"I mean it! One way or another, I'll help you beat Pegasus."  
  
Yugi nodded, trusting his friend's words. He walked over and sat down next to Joey, watching the sunset too. "That really means a lot to m, Joey. I'm glad we're friends."  
  
"Remember the first time we met?" Joey said, his heart filling with pride from Yugi's comment.  
  
"I'll never forget it! It was all because of the Millennium Puzzle..." Yugi looked down at his Puzzle, which was hanging in its usual place around his neck. "The way Grandpa explained it to me, the Puzzle was originally found in some Egyptian ruins. My grandpa gave it to me and kind of dared me to solve it." Yugi took the Puzzle in his hands and held it fondly. "It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen! As soon as I touched it, I knew it was special. I made a wish on the Puzzle; I asked it to give me a real friend. And I think the Puzzle came through for me. That was when I met up with you and Tristan. Although you sure didn't act like my friends at first!"  
  
Joey laughed. "You mean when we were playing keep-away with the Millennium Puzzle? It was for you, man! We just wanted to toughen you up so you could stand up to the real bullies. We were only teasing ya!"  
  
"Teasing?" Yugi remembered the hurtful moment when he had been on the floor, Joey glaring down at him with a mean stare. "You took a piece of the Millennium Puzzle and threw it out the window! And I was the one tried to help you guys out when that bully picked on you!"  
  
"He was a mean one, alright..." Joey recalled the painful incident with Demetrius. He swore he could still the bruises he got from that time, even though it was so long ago. "You stood up for us, Yugi, and I'll never forget that. Because of you, we got that moron expelled! And Tristan and I learned what it was like to have a true friend."  
  
"Well, at least you retrieved the lost Puzzle piece. If you hadn't done that, I could never have solved the Millennium Puzzle."  
  
Joey remembered all that he had done in the past and felt ashamed of himself. Then he remembered his apology to Yugi. That was the day he changed for the better. "The truth of the matter is: you're the best friend I've ever had."  
  
"Yeah!" Yugi's smile disappeared for a moment. "It's too bad you can't go with me to rescue Grandpa..."  
  
"Don't worry. Somehow, someway, I promise, we'll do it together!"  
  
"Together?" Yugi looked up at Joey, his smile reappearing.  
  
"You bet! We're a team, Yugi!" Joey knew he truly meant all that he was saying.  
  
"But how can you go without an invitation?" Yugi asked.  
  
Joey's mind immediately started plotting. "Hmm..."


	22. The Plan in Motion

Joey crept past the huge crowd gathering on the docks. It was night time now, so it was easy for him to hide in the shadows.  
  
The boat to Duelist Kingdom was enormous. Some official- looking guys in suits were giving some kind of speech to the duelists waiting to board the vessel.  
  
"You each have a fair and equal chance to win..." Joey overheard snatches of the speech, but he was mostly concentrating on how to get on without being seen.  
  
As he crept behind the crowd, he looked around for Yugi. He couldn't see him, so Joey made his way to a secluded part of the dock, seeing his way into the boat.  
  
He tiptoed past some tall crates of cargo, noticing that no one seemed to be around.  
  
He turned the corner...and came face-to-face with a couple of guards. They immediately restrained him, taking hold of each of his arms and carried him away. "Hey, you! Get out of here, only official contestants are allowed on board!"  
  
"How do you know I'm not official?" Joey said, struggling against them, but he couldn't shake off two fully-grown men. They had dragged him all the way back to the crowd, which was now forming into a line, ready to board the boat.  
  
"Because the official duelists aren't trying to sneak on board through the lower hatches!" one of the guards growled t him.  
  
"Joey? What the -?" Out of the corner of his eye, Joey saw Yugi making his way towards him. But Joey carried on trying to fight against the two guards.  
  
"Stop your struggling!" one of them snarled. "We're going to have to throw you out!"  
  
"No way!" Joey shouted, seeing the crowd turning their heads to look at the commotion. "I came here to duel, and I'm gonna duel!"  
  
"Leave him alone!" Yugi said, standing defiantly in front of the two guards.  
  
"Hey, Yugi." Joey said, as if he were having a perfectly normal conversation.  
  
"Joey! What are you doing here, Joey?" Yugi asked inquisitively.  
  
"Did you really think I'd let you do this on your own?" Joey laughed unsurely. "Come on, help me out."  
  
"He's with me! You've gotta let him on." Yugi said to the guards.  
  
"Only people with a star chip can get on board. There are no exceptions! Understand?" one of the guards said, still grasping Joey tightly.  
  
"But Joey has a star chip." Yugi said, matter-of-factly. "Didn't he tell you?"  
  
Joey looked surprised at this information. "I do?"  
  
"See?" Yugi held out his closed hand.  
  
Joey looked confused for a moment, then reached out his hand as the two guards let go of him, obviously confused too.  
  
Yugi opened his hand, and a shining gold star dropped into Joey's palm.  
  
"What's this...?" Joey looked at the star in amazement.  
  
"According to this card," Yugi held up a card decorated with a picture of a gauntlet and stars "a star chip's proof that one is a duelist."  
  
"Hmm...that may be, but all participants are given two star chips. You'll be at a disadvantage." One of the guards said.  
  
Joey continued to stare at the star chip in disbelief. Yugi was giving him one of his only two star chips....  
  
"Maybe." Yugi said, still holding the card in his hand. "But I'd rather take that risk than be without my friend when we get to the Duelist Kingdom. I need him."  
  
"Yugi..." Joey stared at Yugi, dumbstruck. He knew his friend was making a huge sacrifice just for him.  
  
One guard turned to the other and said, "What do we do?"  
  
The other pulled out a mobile phone and quickly dialled a number, then lifted it to his ear. "Mr Pegasus? We've got a problem, sir."


	23. Another Duelist

Joey and Yugi were leaning against the railings on the side of the ship. They were on the top deck, where everyone else seemed to be.  
  
As they both rested on the metal bars, watching the sea moving swiftly beneath them, and observing the faraway lights on the distant shore, they could hear duelists talking to each other, mentioning cards and strategies that Joey and Yugi had never even heard of.  
  
"I'm glad they let you on board, Joey." Yugi said, turning to Joey.  
  
"Only because you sacrificed one of your star chips for me." Joey smiled gratefully. "But if any of the other players find out we only have one star chip each, they could really try to take advantage of us."  
  
"Then be quiet about it..." Yugi said, keeping his voice low.  
  
It was silent for a couple of minutes before Joey said, "Kinda exciting, isn't it, Yugi?"  
  
"Yeah." Yugi nodded.  
  
"Well what do we have here?"  
  
Joey and Yugi turned around and saw a girl about their age standing behind them.  
  
Joey took one look at the girl and could have sworn he was dreaming. She was really pretty; long blonde hair, beautiful eyes and a sweet – but mischievous – smile on her face. "Wow..."  
  
"So, you're the Yugi kid that everybody's been talking about, huh?" she smiled to Yugi and made her way closer to the two friends.  
  
"Whoa-aoh! Check it out!" Joey said, completely forgetting to keep his thoughts to himself.  
  
"But I'm amazed that a squirt like you could beat Kaiba." The girl said, leaning over to Yugi's height. "You're famous, you know."  
  
Yugi backed away a little, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Th- Thanks very much, I...think."  
  
"Hey, miss." Joey smiled. "I'm a really good friend of the famous Yugi the master duelist! In fact –"  
  
"Look." She straightened up again. "You're either a champ or a chump. Cut this guy loose, he's fashion-challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games." She said, addressing Yugi. She then began to walk away, giving Joey a disapproving look as she passed him.  
  
"Please...crush me..." Joey said, yet again not bothering to keep his thoughts silent, staring after the girl as she went.  
  
She stopped walking but didn't turn around again. "I'll crush you all eventually. The name's Mai." She then carried on walking.  
  
Yugi looked up at Joey, watching him for a few seconds, and then he turned his head to look behind him as he saw a big crowd of the other duelists moving to get inside the boat. Yugi then shivered as he realised how cold it was getting out on the top deck. "Hey, Joey? Joey?"  
  
Joey finally heard Yugi calling his name and looked at his friend.  
  
"Shall we go inside?" Yugi asked Joey, when Joey had come out of his trance.  
  
"Err...Yeah." Joey nodded, and they both began to join the crowd that was going into the ship.


	24. Meeting the Champs

After they reached the level where the rooms were and followed the crowd along the corridor, they reached a big room that was full of other duelists all arranging their decks, talking and trading.  
  
Joey looked around him, not believing he was on a luxury cruiser and having to share a room with almost all the duelists in the tournament. "They expect us to stay here?" Joey said to Yugi, annoyance in his voice.  
  
"I guess so." Yugi shrugged, beginning to walk around the room in search of a place to sit down. He didn't really care where he stayed, as long as it meant getting to the island and claiming back is grandpa's soul.  
  
But Yugi stopped as he heard Joey shouting to one of the guards that had restrained him earlier that night.  
  
"Hey! Is this a joke or what? This is a luxury cruiser! I know you got better rooms somewhere!" Another guard immediately ran from the corridor outside, and the two men grabbed Joey once more. "You again? We cut you a break and now you're causing more trouble? Do you want to get thrown out of here?"  
  
Yugi looked on in despair as Joey struggled against the guards, willing him to drop it and stay cool. Yugi was concentrating so much on Joey, he didn't notice two people appear in the doorway behind him.  
  
"Hey aren't you that kid, Yugi?" Yugi turned his head to see the two behind him. He did recognise them, but he didn't know them personally. "Yeah! And you're-"  
  
"Weevil!" Joey stopped struggling and the guards loosened their grip on him as they all turned to see the winner of the last competition, the bug monster enthusiast, Weevil Underwood. Joey and Yugi had seen him duelling Rex Raptor just a couple of nights before on TV. Joey looked across and saw Rex standing just next to Weevil. "And Rex, the Dino-duelist!"  
  
"You're wasting your time with those guys. The private rooms only go to finalists from the last championship...like us." Rex smirked.  
  
Yugi stepped forward a little more. "Congratulations on winning the regionals, Weevil!" Yugi always found himself in awe of duelists who did well in tournaments or championships.  
  
"It was nothing." Weevil said, smugly.  
  
"Yeah, I went easy on him...that time." Rex grinned.  
  
Joey then shook off the guards and moved forward too. "Yeah? Well this time, Yugi and I are gonna take the tournament, right Yugi?" Joey said, causing everyone to look at him.  
  
"To tell you the truth, winning the last championship didn't feel like that much of an achievement." Weevil said in an annoying way, causing Rex to glare at him. But Weevil didn't take his eyes off Yugi. "I guess I can't really call myself the champion until I defeat the duelist that beat Kaiba. But I'm sure I'll end up battling you in the big tournament, Yugi. Frankly, I look forward to it." Weevil said, adjusting his glasses as he spoke in a very challenging manner.  
  
"I look forward to it too!" Yugi smiled.  
  
"I'm looking forward...to some dino demolition." Rex said, grinning to himself, grinning mischievously.  
  
"Let me tell you a little secret." Weevil stepped forward and spoke as quietly as he could. "It's something none of the other players know about the games yet."  
  
"Oh...isn't that cheating?" Yugi looked shocked. He could never dream of cheating in anything.  
  
"The other duelists will find out soon enough. But there are new rules on the island that require more...strategy." Weevil smiled to himself.  
  
"Ah, rules are for wimps." Rex spoke up. "In duelling you either smash your opponent, or get smashed yourself. It's one or the other."  
  
"Strength is good, but you also need to combine them with other types of cards." Joey said, Rex's words reminding him of something that Grandpa had taught him.  
  
"Who asked you? Stay out of my way." Rex said, turning his back to Joey and everyone else and starting to walk away. "Or I'll stomp you...like everyone else."  
  
"We'll see who stomps who when we get to the island." Joey said through gritted teeth. He could feel the anger boiling inside him. He hated obnoxious would-be champions like Rex.  
  
"Ignore him." Weevil said, not even turning to watch Rex leave. "Let's scope out the competition."  
  
"Whaddya mean?" Joey asked.  
  
"Check out those chumps." Weevil said, pointing to an area on the other side of the room. Joey and Yugi turned their heads to see duelists sitting down in little groups, cards laid out in front of them and in their hands. "They're already trading over there. Players here are swapping cards and strengthening their decks, getting ready for the big tournament. It's also a good chance to get a feel for your opponent's cards."  
  
"Whoa! Strong cards?" Joey had made his way over to the other duelists and was now looking over their shoulders, holding out his cards and trying to make trades, dashing between all the different people. "Hey, wanna trade? How about you? Anybody? Help me out here!"  
  
"Guess Joey's trading..." Yugi said.


	25. Loyalty

Yugi and Joey sat on the deck with Tea and Tristan. Both were tired and gasping for breath; Tea and Tristan looking worried.  
  
"That was close." Yugi gasped. "I'm sure glad you two guys showed up. Really glad."  
  
"We're a team. We all stick together." Tea said, kneeling down beside Yugi.  
  
"We'll always watch your back." Tristan nodded.  
  
"Thanks a lot, you guys." Yugi said, just about gathering back his energy.  
  
Joey heard the far-off conversation somewhere around him. He felt so weak and useless...just like the day when Serenity left..."I'm sorry, Yugi. I failed. I only found two of your cards." Joey mumbled, holding the two cards in his hand.  
  
"It's okay, Joey." Yugi said, reassuringly.  
  
"It's not okay." Joey said, turning his gaze back to the floor again. "It's always this way with me. I'm never able to help anybody. Not even my own sister, Serenity." Joey tried to fight back the thought of her, as he also tried to fight back tears.  
  
"Serenity?" said Yugi, questioningly.  
  
"Really? You have a sister, Joey?" Tea asked, gently.  
  
"Our parents divorced years ago, when we were kids." Joey said, closing his eyes. This was the first time he had shared this story with anyone. It was the deepest secret he had, that he didn't want to tell anybody...but he felt like he had to tell Yugi, Tea and Tristan. "She lives far away. With my mother. My sister's had really bad eyes since she was born. Eventually, she'll go blind."  
  
"I'm sorry." Yugi breathed, wondering why Joey had never mentioned this before now.  
  
"Thanks, Yug. She sent me a message." Joey thought about the videotape that was still sitting at home; locked away so his dad wouldn't find it. And yet again, a flow of more painful memories ran through Joey's mind. "The doctors have told her that the time has come. Soon her eyes will be impossible to repair...even with surgery. But there are specialists who could perform the operation before it's too late. They could save her eyesight. But...there's no way I can pay for the operation. I have to win, for her! Winning in the Duelist Kingdom, and getting the prize money...is the only way I can help Serenity." Joey finished, his eyes shining with tears.


	26. Dreams Are Near

As morning broke on the horizon-line, Joey, Yugi, Tea and Tristan stood at the front of the ship, seeing their destination ahead of them.  
  
"We'll both do our best, Joey. You for your sister, and me for my grandpa." Yugi smiled.  
  
Joey stared out at the island, feeling more determined than he had ever felt in his life.  
  
"That's right. We'll do this together!" Tea grinned.  
  
"Look, the island!" Tristan said, as the island came into full view.  
  
"That's the Duelist Kingdom. That's it...we're almost there!" Yugi said.  
  
Joey stared out at the vast land that was now so close. He knew whatever he had to face here, would always bring him one step closer to helping Serenity.

* * *

By Emily Nash-Medlyn (gemini-kaiba)  
  
28th December 2003 – 2nd February 2004

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who had the patience to sit and read this all the way through! I salute you! For extra Brownie points... could you pretty please leave a review? Thanks again!


End file.
